


A Night Without Rain

by misura



Category: Bus Gamer
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-08-17
Updated: 2009-08-17
Packaged: 2018-01-25 02:00:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1625606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nobuto had never been a believer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Night Without Rain

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Reddwarfer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reddwarfer/gifts).



 

 

Note: Not as slashy as I'd hoped for, if at all.  
*

"Oops," said Kazuo.

And Nobuto reflected that it probably said a lot about Kazuo and Toki and yes, himself, too, he supposed, that until that moment, until Kazuo uttered that 'oops' in a tone that was apologetic more than anything ('sorry, Mom, got some blood on my new shirt'), none of them had noticed a thing.

*

It was agreed that for Kazuo to go home as he was was an utter impossibility - and Nobuto felt only a little bit ashamed of himself for thinking that if only Toki or himself had gotten injured, they would not be having this problem. Kazuo was Kazuo; allowances had to be made, had always had to be made, and this was just one more of them. It wasn't, Nobuto told himself, such a big thing.

They could have been stuck with Kazuo's dead body; having to tuck him away for a few day was just a minor inconvenience compared to that, like going for dinner or visiting the arcade.

Nobuto'd just drop him off at Toki's place; maybe (but probably not) bring him some sort of get-well-soon present, possibly (but not likely) having something to do with videogames - there was this small shop only a few blocks from his apartment where they had all kinds of stuff, from tiny statues to sextoys, and all of them to do with gaming.

"I'd love to see where you live, Nobu." Kazuo's expression got stuck between a grin and a grimace.

Toki said nothing, but they were moving - slowly, with Toki supporting Kazuo (five minutes ago he'd been running, practically skipping) and Nobuto not really paying attention.

They were not, Nobuto noticed, moving in the opposite direction of the place he didn't call 'home'.

"Yeah, well, sorry, but you're not going to find out any time soon." That was the tricky thing about Toki - one of them, anyway; even when he didn't make much noise, he was still moving. Ahead of you, more often than not. It was a quality Nobuto occasionally aspired to himself.

"Why not?" If puppies could talk, they'd sound like Kazuo did now. And Nobuto'd tell anyone who thought dogs were easy to kick that they'd better watch their feet.

"How'd you like to see Toki's place instead, eh?"

"Not possible." Nobuto was not, by nature, a curious man. He respected other people's privacy when doing so didn't unduly inconvenience him, mostly because he liked his own privacy, too. Do unto others, and all that.

He wondered what Toki's apartment looked like on the inside.

"Well, what makes you think he can stay at my place? Did I say he could stay at my place?" The important thing was to keep this between him and Toki; it concerned Kazuo, certainly, but not as someone with an actual say in the matter.

"You didn't protest." Silence was Toki's element; he bent it to his will like a sorceror, made it do tricks.

"I'm protesting now."

"Guys?" Less grin and more grimace in Kazuo's expression. Had either of them not been who he was, Nobuto thought the sight of it might have caused a guilt-trip and a surrender; as it was, Kazuo went mostly ignored.

If he'd known he'd get into a staring contest, Nobuto'd have brought his sunglasses.

"Fine."

"What?"

There were many advantages to having the element of surprise on your side - fewer, Nobuto thought, to having allies whose actions were unexpected.

"All right then. Let's get going."

*

It was a close call, in the end. Nobuto'd been supporting Kazuo while Toki'd been unlocking his door - it had felt perfectly normal to let Toki take over once the door was open and perfectly natural for Toki to enter first, given not so much that it was his apartment as that Kazuo clearly needed to be made to sit down before he collapsed.

"Don't be a jerk, Toki."

Had it come from Kazuo, from somewhere behind Toki, who was blocking Nobuto's view of his apartment, Toki's reaction would likely as not have been exactly the same - which was to say: none.

"Who's being a jerk around here?"

Nobuto's instincts had served him ill in the past; nonetheless, he relied on them still, especially in situations where there were no women involved.

"You think I'm not worried 'bout him, too?" And, when that failed, taking an uncalculated risk: "Hey, Kaz, tell your watchdog to let me in already, will you?"

That call wasn't a close one at all. It was a bit of a surprise though, to see Toki flush slightly, before the expected (brief) scowl and acquiescence that wasn't.

Nobuto would wish he hadn't asked, except that there'd never been a question - just his answer to the offer to earn lots of money (never enough) by playing some sort of game.

They'd never mentioned the deal would involve friendship, and they'd certainly never mentioned it involving standing in a hallway feeling a bit awkward.

('I'd ask you to come in', she'd said, 'but ... ', and he'd said 'Yeah', like he'd understood and it hadn't been a big deal, and even now, he still wondered who'd been fooling whom, too little and too late.)

*

It was only when Kazuo said 'Mom!' in a voice that squeaked that the not-obvious occurred to Nobuto.

Toki's face was impassive. The tips of Kazuo's ears had turned red.

"Of course I'd tell you!" Too much indignation, too little conviction; too much 'I can't believe you're asking me this!', and too little 'I'm telling the truth here'. Nobuto felt unexpectedly old and out of place.

Kazuo wrapped up the conversation with a few more sputtered protestations.

"Man, I can't believe she wouldn't believe me when I said I'd be staying over at a friend's place." There was no anger in Kazuo's expression, just a healthy dose of indignation and exasperation.

"You do that kind of thing often?"

"No!"

"Did you tell her where I live?"

"No!"

"And then you're surprised she thinks you're staying over at some girl's place."

Kazuo's expression was hovering in between a sulk and a pout. "But I'm not," he said. As if the truth was something that should be both obvious and believable, no matter how unconvincingly presented.

"Well," Nobuto rose. "You two behave yourselves."

'Don't do anything I would do,' he almost added, but didn't. 'Don't do anything I wouldn't do,' might be more appropriate, only really, who was he to judge?

*

It didn't start raining when he left. Somehow, that seemed a hopeful sign.

 


End file.
